1981 GS450E Rebuild

[pete]

I'm an idiot. A true blue, fair dinkum idiot.

My house mate rocked up with an old hammer needing a new handle this morning, so brilliant idea to use this to make up a sort of slide hammer to get that pesky alternator rotor off.

So far so good:



That's actually the swingarm shaft there, possibly not the best use for it, but after banging away for a bit there were no marks on it and the washer we put on there is protecting the hex head quite well.

However, after about 5 or 10 minutes at it, we realised it didn't wanna give, and that hammer head probably hasn't got enough weight in it.

Anyway, I gave it one last big bang in frustration, but let my concentration lapse and managed to catch the meat of my thumb between the hammer head and washer.



Yeah, it hurts. There's a big triangle of thumb that almost got detached, and that's the second lot of bandaging. I bled like a stuck pig and the first bandage was basically squelching so once it seemed to have stemmed the flow my wife put a second one on, and nearly vomited from how it looked. It ain't pretty under there but I'll spare you all the grisly details.

So, zero progress today and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get done with my thumb like that.

Anyway, backtrack to yesterday to the good stuff.

Left valves faced:



Right valves:



Do I hear you say "oooh pretty"?

And my acquisitions... fine lapping compound, lapping tools, and the hone:



And, lastly, went up to Supercheap (super crap?) today because the house mate saw a good deal on a compressor this morning on his way through seeing as the one he has at his mum's place is missing heaps of bits and pieces.

So, we made a bit of an impulse decision to buy it.

2.5HP 200LPM (not sure what that is in CFM) compressor with 20 metre hose and 4 piece spray gun set for $199. Apparently we saved $228...

Good deal, but naturally it's not the highest quality stuff, but should be good enough to blow out the head to make sure all the blast media is gone and also should be good enough to spray the tank and mudguards down the track.

We'll pick it up tomorrow, although the spray gun pack is on back order and probably won't have that for a couple of weeks, but as long as the compressor's here that's ok for now.

[Suzuki_Don]

That's actually the swingarm shaft there, possibly not the best use for it, but after banging away for a bit there were no marks on it and the washer we put on there is protecting the hex head quite well.

Pete, you need to hit the claw part of the hammer head with another hammer. A lump hammer is about the right weight. And it will come off. The taper is probably super glued, sorry I mean Loctited to the shaft. It was with mine and on about the third whach with a lump hammer it came off.

Sorry to hear anout your thumb. Anyway the Aussies gave those Poms a thumping today, 260 odd runs I believe.

[Nessism]

Pete,

You need a bottle brush hone. It makes a much nicer pattern on worn cylinders than that straight hone will. 240 - 320 grit is best.

[pete]

Pete, you need to hit the claw part of the hammer head with another hammer. A lump hammer is about the right weight. And it will come off. The taper is probably super glued, sorry I mean Loctited to the shaft. It was with mine and on about the third whach with a lump hammer it came off.

Sorry to hear anout your thumb. Anyway the Aussies gave those Poms a thumping today, 260 odd runs I believe.

Cheers Don, I do recall you using something else to whack yours with. Unfortunately I whacked my thumb first. We have a mini sledge hammer... The only catch could be the free play of the hammer head to the shaft as we didn't realise til afterwards that we should've just drilled a suitable sized hole rather than removing all of the handle

If all else fails, we'll get another cheapo hammer and drill it.

And even though I'm not a cricket fan, it's always good to see us beat the Pom's

Pete,

You need a bottle brush hone. It makes a much nicer pattern on worn cylinders than that straight hone will. 240 - 320 grit is best.

Thanks Ed. I did originally plan to get some sort of ball hone but the price put me off considering I'm going to use it twice only, maybe three times if I ever do the Yamaha YB100 (single cylinder).

How much do you think I'll be causing myself issues by using the stone type compared with the bottle brush type?

I'd love to take it back to the cylinder head guy to get done because he has proper ball hones, but he'll be closed for Christmas/New Year before I get a chance to go back.

On the one hand I want to do the best job I can, on the other hand the only time I can see me getting to do this part is between Christmas and New Year when most of those sorts of places are shut.

[landshark]

Hi Pete,
Post a picture of the spray guns when you get them. i have two that i bought cheap, one was too small and not putting out enough spray.
i know there are a million threads on here about paint and equipment, but at least i can tell you if one is the same as my small spray gun and you can avoid it.
PS. move your thumb next time.

[Suzuki_Don]

Did a very small amount tonight, and did a bit of a tidy up on the work bench because I had tools everywhere and they were cramping my style. I really need to finish organising all the tools so they've got a proper home instead of just an area...

Hey Pete here's a couple of pics to keep you motivated on doing the tool cleanup that is required at your premises.




Above: My Mostly used tools




Above: MY Less used tools - hacksaws, hammers, etc.


BE INSPIRED PETE.

I know it doesn't look that pretty, just bits of wide board nailed across the shed studs, but it does the job.

Funny thing is once you have a place for each tool you tend to replace that tool after you have used it.

Good Luck.

[Woodsy]

ahh you have joined the thumb club! I got my thumb caught between the rear sprocket and the chain when i was adjusting it. Tetanus needle and 30 minutes later i was back on the tools lol

[pete]

Hi Pete,
Post a picture of the spray guns when you get them. i have two that i bought cheap, one was too small and not putting out enough spray.
i know there are a million threads on here about paint and equipment, but at least i can tell you if one is the same as my small spray gun and you can avoid it.
PS. move your thumb next time.

Cool, I'll be sure to post one up when I get them. Housemate picked up the compressor and hose today, so I'll try to get it unpacked and make sure it works tomorrow. Could be interesting minus one thumb but I'll give it a go. We have an air nozzle here already, so as long as it fits the hose it means I can give the head a good blow through to make sure all that blast media is gone.

As for moving the thumb... well... I think that was the problem, managed to give it a good dozen whacks before hitting my thumb

Hey Pete here's a couple of pics to keep you motivated on doing the tool cleanup that is required at your premises.




Above: My Mostly used tools




Above: MY Less used tools - hacksaws, hammers, etc.


BE INSPIRED PETE.

I know it doesn't look that pretty, just bits of wide board nailed across the shed studs, but it does the job.

Funny thing is once you have a place for each tool you tend to replace that tool after you have used it.

Good Luck.

Wow that's nicely organised Don!

We handicapped ourselves by not organising the tools in the garage properly when we bought this house and just sort of tossed everything somewhere.

We have all the stuff to get organised, a peg board for hanging stuff off, a tool box on wheels, another tool box, several of those socket holders you can pop your sockets onto (like you seem to have in your first pic), and other things like an old chest of drawers.

Unfortunately, these days it's either work on the bike or organise the garage, don't get time for both, and I'm letting the bike win out.

Now I am definitely INSPIRED Don!

With any luck we'll get some time to get organised next week as well as hopefully me getting some time back on the bike (pending thumb recovery).

[pete]

ahh you have joined the thumb club! I got my thumb caught between the rear sprocket and the chain when i was adjusting it. Tetanus needle and 30 minutes later i was back on the tools lol

Aaaah I feel your pain! Literally...

I gave it a good soak in Dettol this avo and it looks a little better now that I've cleaned a lot of the blood and grease off...

And yeah, I want back on the tools real soon

[pete]

Ok, I've just done some more searching around regarding hones, and I just don't think it's worth the risk of using the 3 stone hone I got after Ed's advice and looking at other threads.

So, as it turns out I need to work from home tomorrow to get the window tinting replaced on a window we had to get replaced last week, so I think it best I get back onto the good guys at Northside Cylinder Head Specialists so they can do the hone for me.

My only catch will be if I need to clean the lanolin out of the cylinders that the blasting guy put in to keep them from corroding again as I may not have time for that. I also need to find how to preserve it for a week or so until I'll have time to fit them too.

I think this is the sensible and safe way forward though...

[pete]

So I made it up to Geebung this morning and the guys at Northside Cylinder Head Specialists looked after me again. Nice one

I called and they said leave it for a couple of hours, but when I got there, they just took it in and did the honing on the spot, so I'm all set in that regard.

I haven't got pic's of the honed cylinders at the moment because they also very kindly put some engine oil in them and glad wrapped them after I told them I wouldn't be putting them on for a week or two.

However, I did get some after I unwrapped it from the glad wrap this morning to clean the lanolin out:



If you look closely, there still appears to be a little cross hatching in the cylinders which isn't bad for over 96000km's:



And the compressor and hose, just waiting on the spray kit:



I was hoping to get a bit of time today to unpack the compressor and make sure it worked, but that didn't happen.

I really need to get that alternator rotor off!

Then, next up really is lapping in the valves, then I need to blow the head out (providing the compressor works) and get the valves in, then the cylinders and head can go on and the engine can go in the frame.

[SVSooke]

That compressor looks remarkably similar to the one I have.the tank and stuff around it's different but the actual commpressor looks the same.It's a pretty good unit IMHO

[KC1908]

Pete,

Have a proper flywheel puller for my 1100's, not sure if they are the same as a 450. Someone on here may know. You are welcome to borrow it.

Ken

[pete]

That compressor looks remarkably similar to the one I have.the tank and stuff around it's different but the actual commpressor looks the same.It's a pretty good unit IMHO

Cool, will be good if it turns out to be a decent unit for sure! See what happens when I fire it up the first time I guess, may get a chance on Christmas Eve as I have the day off.

Pete,

Have a proper flywheel puller for my 1100's, not sure if they are the same as a 450. Someone on here may know. You are welcome to borrow it.

Ken

Cheers Ken, how does that puller work? I can't quite work it out by looking at it. The only catch is if it needs to thread inside and push on the crankshaft it'll be a no go. Idiot me has a piece of metal stuck in there from trying to get it off years ago, which is why I desperately need to get it off and why the slide hammer is being attempted.

[Leigh]

I give this thread one and a half thumbs up!
Smooth move, Magoo.

Pete, you'll be right with the honing, I've done it before on an old Hemi I rebuilt.
I got a 3 stone hone. The stones were about 6-8mm wide and about 60mm long I guess (from a hazy memory).
I just ran them up and down a couple of times then checked the bore.
You can't stuff it up unless you keep going without checking the bore after a couple of passes.


That compressor looks like mine. Small Chinese unit with generic branding.
Mine is a Spear & Jackson. Odd that a shovel and spade manufacturer "makes" compressors.
Hehe.
The gun I bought from Bunnings is a Low Pressure High Volume kit. It has both pots on it so you can go with pressure or gravity feed.
I used the gravity pot.

I couldn't find it in their catalogue but it's the one you need.
Low Pressure is the key phrase here.